CA1238530A - Document reading envelope depository - Google Patents
Document reading envelope depositoryInfo
- Publication number
- CA1238530A CA1238530A CA000533600A CA533600A CA1238530A CA 1238530 A CA1238530 A CA 1238530A CA 000533600 A CA000533600 A CA 000533600A CA 533600 A CA533600 A CA 533600A CA 1238530 A CA1238530 A CA 1238530A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- deposit
- document
- depository
- transport
- read
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
- G07D11/00—Devices accepting coins; Devices accepting, dispensing, sorting or counting valuable papers
- G07D11/009—Depositing devices
- G07D11/0096—Accepting paper currency or other valuables in containers, e.g. in code-marked envelopes
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Financial Or Insurance-Related Operations Such As Payment And Settlement (AREA)
- Devices For Checking Fares Or Tickets At Control Points (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A banking machine having a single opening for both envelope and individual check or note deposit is disclosed. The entrance to the depository has a deposit item thickness sensor just inside of the deposit gate opening which can detect the difference between a thicker envelope deposit item and a thinner single sheet of paper. A computer is responsive to signals from the thickness sensor to control a deflector which permits envelopes to pass directly through to a sequential stacking deposit bin.
Alternately, the thickness sensor causes the computer to control the deflector to divert a single sheet of paper into a read leg of the bifurcated transport. After entering the read path, document alignment rolls placed at a slight angle to the direction of document travel tend to move the document toward a registration edge before the document passes the read head. After passing the read head, the document returns to the common transport at a point just past the thickness sensor and traveling in the same direction as it traveled when first inserted. This permits the document to be recirculated in the event that the document was not adequately aligned for good reading. As the document is recirculated, additional aligning is provided by the alignment rolls until the document has been moved all the way against the registration edge and proper reading can be accomplished.
A banking machine having a single opening for both envelope and individual check or note deposit is disclosed. The entrance to the depository has a deposit item thickness sensor just inside of the deposit gate opening which can detect the difference between a thicker envelope deposit item and a thinner single sheet of paper. A computer is responsive to signals from the thickness sensor to control a deflector which permits envelopes to pass directly through to a sequential stacking deposit bin.
Alternately, the thickness sensor causes the computer to control the deflector to divert a single sheet of paper into a read leg of the bifurcated transport. After entering the read path, document alignment rolls placed at a slight angle to the direction of document travel tend to move the document toward a registration edge before the document passes the read head. After passing the read head, the document returns to the common transport at a point just past the thickness sensor and traveling in the same direction as it traveled when first inserted. This permits the document to be recirculated in the event that the document was not adequately aligned for good reading. As the document is recirculated, additional aligning is provided by the alignment rolls until the document has been moved all the way against the registration edge and proper reading can be accomplished.
Description
~23~53~
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DOCU~I.NT I~E~I)IN~7 ENV~I.O~ DEPOSI 01 B~CKGROUND OF T~IE INVENI'ION
Field of the Invention .
The invention relates to automa-tic banking machines w~ich may be installed at locations accessible to customers for dispensing money and receiving deposits. More particularly the invention relates to machines for receiving deposits of individual checks or sheets of paper money as well as receiving deposits contained within deposit envelopes.
lo Prior Art .
Bankins machines with deposit mechanisms capable of receiving envelopes are well known in the prior art. Some of these prior art envelope depositories include a programmable wire matrix or ink jet printer to print sequence numbers or other information ;15 on the envelope as it is being deposited.
The IBM ~730 Personal Banking Machine has an envelope depository and in addition has a separate individual check depository. The individual check depository receives each individual check, transports the check past a magnetic ink character read head, prints audit -trail in~ormation on the check and places the check into a deposit tray. Each of these separate depositories require an input gate to control articles being placed into the depository and they each require transport belts or rollers to handle the items being deposited.
Each depository also requires its own programmable printer if deposited items are to be printed with audit information.
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, . .
` ~2~3~
In addltion th~ individual chec~ readin~ depository must have a document allgnlng mechanism to ellsure th.lt the m.lcJIletic in~
characters pass under the read head ln a~quate reglstra~lon with their e~pected patll in order to permit recognizing the characters. Because checks come in varylng widths and leng-ths, it is no~ possible to control check alignment entirely ~y the shape of the input gate. If a narrow chec~ lS being inserted and it is placed in the middle o~ the deposit opening, alignment rolls must be provide~ to move the check to one s1~e lo against a registration edge so tha-t the document magnetic ln~
characters pass under the read head. I~ a short transport path is provided to obtain a compact'depository, the transport may not be able to move the document sideways far enough to provide proper registration for reading and the document then must be returned to the user for relnsertion.
~U~IMARY OF THE INVENTION
. .
An advantageous effect o~ this invention is the slmplification of the console of an automatic teller machine ln that only one deposit opening is required. By requiring only one opening, the user can not be con~used as to which depos1t gate into whicn ~ne deposit item should be inserted.
Further, a single deposit gate and assoc1ated actuator can serve to protect the envelope deposlt mechanism and MICR reader deposit mechanism from vandalism, thereby reducing cost o~ the machine. A common print mechanism and control circuits can serve'to print on both envelope deposits and individual document deposits, ~urther reducing cost.
. .
A still further advantage'o~ the invention is that while remaining compac-t, lt has a long read transport path. The long path allows a ~Dcument being read to be moved sideways lnto good registration ~or reading without requlr1ng that the user relnsert the document.' CT9-85-01~
~23~3~
These and ot1~er advantage~ are o~t~ined by the in3ta17t invention w~llch is a depository havlng a bifurcated transport path. The transport o~ documents and envelopes in the path lS
controlled by ~ computer in response to slgnals from a deposit item sensor. The deposit item sensor provides signals indica-ting whether the deposit item lS a single document to be read be~ore deposit or an envelope to be directly passed lnto the print transport leg of the bifurcated transport ~or printing and stacking.
The computer controls a de~lector to permit envelopes to pass through the common transport and directly under a programmable printer in transit to a sequentlal stacking deposit cartridge of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,51~ 3 of common asslgnee with the instant invention. In other circumstances, the computer responds to tne sensor to control tne deposit item deflector to cause a deposit item to be diverted into a read portion of the transport path when the deposit ltem is a thin slngle sheet individual check. After enterlng the read path, document alignment rolls placed at a slight angle to the dlrection of document motion tend to move the document toward a reglstration edge before the document passes thé read head.
After passing the read head, the document returns to the common transport at a polnt ~ust past the sensor and traveling in the same direction as it traveled when flrst inserted. This permlts the document to be reclrculated in the event that the document was not adequately aligned Eor good reading. ~s the document is recirculated, additional aligning is provided by the alignment rolls until the document has been moved all the way against the registration edge and proper reading can be accomplished. When a proper reading is accomplished, the computer controls the depdsit item de~lector to pass the check into the print transport path under the programmable prlnter and into the d~jposit cartridge. In the event that proper reading cannot be accomplished ln several attempts, the document lS returned to the user a~ter it has re-entered the common transport path. By reversing the common transport the document is moved backwards out througn the input opening gate.
' ; ~3~
Other objects and adv~ntclcJes of the inven~ion will become apparent from the following descriptioll of a pre~erred embodiment w}len read in conjunction with the dxawings forming a part of this specification.
srieE Descriptlon_of the Drawings Figure l shows a side view of a safe enclosure containing the depository mechanism of this invention.
Figure 2 shows a detailed side view of the depository mechanism in position for depositlng an envelope.
Figure 3 shows a detailed side view of the depository mechanism ' in position for reading a check deposit item.
Figure 4 shows a view of a single document being inserted into the depository of this invention.
Figure 5 shows a flow diagram of the control logic embodied in a program in the controlling computer.
Descrlpt1on of the Preferred ~mbodiment Figure 1 shows a side view of a depository meehanism 11 'eonstructed in accordance with -the invention and mounted adjacent to a depository cartridge 13 inside of a safe enclosure 15 in order to deposit envelopes and checks therein in the sequence of their receipt. The safe 15 has a rotary gate 17 in one side which is opened or closed by,an eleetromagnet actuator under control of computer 9 and the logic and programs of an ~utomatic teller machine or a keyboard 2s display, in order to control which users are granted access to use the depository. User access to rotary gate 17 is provided through front covers of an automatic teller machine or through the wall of a bank building while service access to the , depository cartridge 13 is provided via safe door 19 of the normal type. In Figure 3, computer 9 is also shown to respond to signals from sensor 20 and read head 131 to control the operation of the transpolt l~elts and rollers and to control deflector 41.
ii3~
Referrillg now to ~igure 2, a more detailed descr,iption oE the depository mechanism of this invention, and particularly the common transport path while accep-ting a cleposit, will be set forth. Immediately adjacent to rotary gate 17 is the thickness sensing rolls 21, 23 which accept deposit item 10 in the nip therebetween. Thickness sensing ro]ls 21, 23 are moved apart from each other by the thickness of the deposit item 10 and therefore sense the thickness of the item using well known means not described.
lo Adjacent and co-acting with the deposit thickness sensing rolls is the common transport path. The common transport path has rolls 25 and 27 and a belt 29 constrained to rotate thereover.
Rolls 25 and 27 are mounted upon spring loaded journals so that these rolls can move away from,the common transport path as 'thicker deposit items are inserted into the common path.
Co-acting with belt 29 is transpoxt base plate 31 and rolls 33, 35, 37, and 39 to move the deposit item through the depository mechanism to deflector ~1.
' .
Dotted lines 30 show the position of belt 29 when transporting a thick envelope deposit item.
Deflector 41 is moved into the position shown in Figure 2 by an electromagnet actuator under control of logic and programming in a computer 9 to permit a deposit envelope to pass into the print/deposit leg of the bifurcated transport and under programmable printer 43 having a print liead 45 in a position to print along the depos:it item passin~ under the print head.
' Printer 43 may be a wire dot matrix printer, an ink jet printer, or any other type of printer which is able -to print upon deposit items. Progr.ammable printer 43 may for example be configured to print upon a label which is then transported and affi~ed to the deposit item so as to be able to print upon a , surface having constant thickness. . , .
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3~
While passing under printer ~3, the deposit ltem is driven by belt 47 which travels around rolls ~9 and 51. Roll 49 is also mounted upon a spring loaded journal which can deflect to permit a relatively thick envelope deposit item to pass. After passing under printer 43, the deposit i-tem is inserted onto a stack o~ previously deposited items by a mechanism as for example shown in patent 4,512,263. In order to assist in transporting deposit i-tems under print head ~5, rolls 53 and 55 are provlded to deflect the deposit item as necessary to keep its surface at a controlled distance ~rom print head ~5 if printing lS to be directly upon the document. In the situation where printing is upon a label, rolls 53 and 55 serve to a~fix the label to the deposit item. The rolls and belt in the immediately foregoing description comprlse the print/deposit transport leg of the bifurcated transport of this invention.
The reading portions of depository mechanism ll which ~unction in the read leg of tl~e bl~urcated transport and in combination with the common transport path, will now be described with reference to Figure 3. In Figure 3, the deposit item lO is again inserted into the nip of rolls 21, 23 which sense lts thickness as the document is transported into the common path.
If a thin single sheet of paper lS detected, the logic and program of the controlling computer 9 operate an electromagnet actuator to move deflector ~l into the position s~own ln Figure 3. Upon encountering detLector 41, the check is de~lected into the read path comprislng belt 61 which traverses rolls 63 through 81. Belt ~1 in conjunction with rolls 63 and 79 transport the chec]c against guide plates 99 and 113 in -the read path. Rolls ~s and 67 act to divert the document away from 30 belt 61 and between guide plates lO1, 103 to guide the check into the nip between alignment roll l~1 and drive roll 123.
Drive roll 123 continues to carry the check between guide plates lOS, 107 to alignment roll l~ and drive roll 127. Roll 127 further drives the check between guide plates 109,111 and 35 past read head 131. Read head 131 may be a typical magnetic ink character read head or it may be an optical character read head both o~ which are well known ln the prior art and do not constitute applicants invention. A~ter passing read head 131, 3~$i~
the ch~ck deposit it~m is carriecl between roll 77 and belt 61 to roll 79 and gulde plate 113 where it encounters gravity operated deflector l33. Gravity operated deflector 133 is pushed by -the leadinq edge of the check deposit item into the position shown in broken lines to permit the deposit item to re-enter the common transport path.
Operation Of ~he Preferred Embodiment Referring again to Flgure 1 and with reference to Fig~lre 4, the operation of the depository mechanism of the invention will be described. As shown ln ~lgure 4, a deposit item ln the form of an envelope or check 10 lS placed into the deposit input opening gate 17, I~ the deposit item is a check, it is'placed, face up with the bottom edge o~ the document against a registration edge 135 as shown. The user is instructed to place a check deposit item in this manner by instructions displayed to the user at an assoclated automatic teller machine in con]unct1on with legends printed on the face of the deposltory near the depository gate. After the user has heen identified to the automatic teller machlne, the computer 9 causes rotary gate'17 to open permitting the check deposlt item to be pushed lnto the nip of rolls 21, 23 shown in Figure 3 for senslng the thickness of the deposit item as it is belng transported into the common,transport patll.
Referring now to the flow chart in Figure ~, after the user has inserted the deposit item at block 201, it is sensed for thickness at decision block 203 and computer 9 determines at block 205 i~ lt is an envelope or a single document. In the event that the deposit item caused thickness sensing rolls 21, 23 to be separated by more than the thlckness of a single sheet of paper, an envelope deposit is determined at block 205 to have,been inser~ted and the deposit item is'transported with ' deflector 41 in the down position shown in Figure 2, past programmable printer 43, and into depository cartridge 13 as depicted in blocks 217, 219, and 221 respoctively.
53~
I~ the deposit item i~ a sln~le thicklle.~ of paper, the computer 9 at block 207 will cause deElector 41 to move up to the position shown ln Figure 3 and the deposit item will be deflected into the read path comprising belt 61 and rolls 63 thro~lgh 81. IE when inserted, the bottom edge of the deposit item was placed far from registration edge 135, the deposit item may not have been moved up against and into alignment with the registration edge as depicted in block 209 before reaching the read head 131. In this case, the read head 131 will not be able, in block 211, to read the magnetic ink characte~s along the bottom edge of the check. After the deposit items passes the read head, it re-enters the common transport path through gravity operated deflector 133. Once the deposlt ltem has re-entered the common transport path, the computer 9 can decide at block 213 whether signals were present and if they were present, it can declde at block 215, whether the signals are recogn1zable. If the signals are recognizable, the computer 9 at block 217 moves deflector 41 down to pass the documen-t under printer 43 ~or printing at block 21Y and stacking at block 2~1 in the cartrldge 13.
If no signals were received from the read head or if they were not recognizable, the computer at blocks 2?3 or 225 decldes whether to re-clrculate the document ~or another attempt at reading. I~, ~or example,less than ~ attempts at reading have 25 been made, deflector 41 is ayain moved up at block 207 to the position o~ Figure 3 to allow the deposit i-tem to be re-circulated for another alignment and read attempt. I~ after several read attempts, no signals were received ~rom read head 131, computer 9 will display a message at block 227 that the document may have been inserted upslde down or backwards and solicit reinsertion in the correct orientation. After the deposi-t item clears de~lector 133, de~lec-tor 133 will drop back into the position shown in Figure 2 to permit the common transport to be operated in the reverse direction as shown at block 231 to return the deposit item to the user. The message is displayed on the display of an associated automatic teller machine advising the user that the deposit item cannot be read 5~
in the position in which it was inserted and that i~ lt was inserted face do~n, lt should be re-inserted face up or if the deposit item does not have magnetic ink characters, -that it cannot be accepted as an .individuai check depos.it.
On the other hand if signals were received from the read head but were not recognizable af-ter several tries, a message lS
displayed by computer 9 at block 229 to the effect that the document has unreadable characters and can not be accepted as a deposit. Agaln the document is returned to the user at block lo 231 as previously described.
It can be seen from the Figures and understood from the ~oregoing descri.ption o~ the preferred embodlment that the bifurcated transport of the invention having a common path, a print/deposit path and a read path to provide a re-clrculation capability, advantageously yields a compact depository mechanism which permlts functional items such as the programmable printer and rotary input gate to be ut~.lized for the purpose of depositing both lndividual checks and envelopes.
In addition, lt can be seen that by means o~ the re-circulation path utlllzing the common path and the read path, a deposlt item can be re-clrculated past alignment rolls a number of times, each pass movlng the deposit item into better registration and alignment for reading without the need for returning the deposit item to the user unless the deposit item has been inserted upslde down or backwards.
While the inventlon has been shown and described with respect to an envelope depository in comblnation with a check reader, it will be appreciatecl by those sk.ille~ ln the art that read head 131 could be oE the ~ype to read and recogni~e paper currency or magnetic s-tripe documents which then are handled ln CT9-85-~15 - 9 -~;23~ i3~
much the same way as described for a check. lt will be further appreciated that without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, through the use of another deflector similar to deflector 41 following rolls 49, 53, documents may be separately stacked into different cartridges as lS known in the art and exemplified by patent 4,552,351 of common assignee with the instant invention. Likewlse the addition or removal of p-inting or other ~unctional units is contemplated by the inventors as being within the scope of their invention whlch~is measured by the following claims.
-.,, CT9-85-015 - lO -
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DOCU~I.NT I~E~I)IN~7 ENV~I.O~ DEPOSI 01 B~CKGROUND OF T~IE INVENI'ION
Field of the Invention .
The invention relates to automa-tic banking machines w~ich may be installed at locations accessible to customers for dispensing money and receiving deposits. More particularly the invention relates to machines for receiving deposits of individual checks or sheets of paper money as well as receiving deposits contained within deposit envelopes.
lo Prior Art .
Bankins machines with deposit mechanisms capable of receiving envelopes are well known in the prior art. Some of these prior art envelope depositories include a programmable wire matrix or ink jet printer to print sequence numbers or other information ;15 on the envelope as it is being deposited.
The IBM ~730 Personal Banking Machine has an envelope depository and in addition has a separate individual check depository. The individual check depository receives each individual check, transports the check past a magnetic ink character read head, prints audit -trail in~ormation on the check and places the check into a deposit tray. Each of these separate depositories require an input gate to control articles being placed into the depository and they each require transport belts or rollers to handle the items being deposited.
Each depository also requires its own programmable printer if deposited items are to be printed with audit information.
.
, . .
` ~2~3~
In addltion th~ individual chec~ readin~ depository must have a document allgnlng mechanism to ellsure th.lt the m.lcJIletic in~
characters pass under the read head ln a~quate reglstra~lon with their e~pected patll in order to permit recognizing the characters. Because checks come in varylng widths and leng-ths, it is no~ possible to control check alignment entirely ~y the shape of the input gate. If a narrow chec~ lS being inserted and it is placed in the middle o~ the deposit opening, alignment rolls must be provide~ to move the check to one s1~e lo against a registration edge so tha-t the document magnetic ln~
characters pass under the read head. I~ a short transport path is provided to obtain a compact'depository, the transport may not be able to move the document sideways far enough to provide proper registration for reading and the document then must be returned to the user for relnsertion.
~U~IMARY OF THE INVENTION
. .
An advantageous effect o~ this invention is the slmplification of the console of an automatic teller machine ln that only one deposit opening is required. By requiring only one opening, the user can not be con~used as to which depos1t gate into whicn ~ne deposit item should be inserted.
Further, a single deposit gate and assoc1ated actuator can serve to protect the envelope deposlt mechanism and MICR reader deposit mechanism from vandalism, thereby reducing cost o~ the machine. A common print mechanism and control circuits can serve'to print on both envelope deposits and individual document deposits, ~urther reducing cost.
. .
A still further advantage'o~ the invention is that while remaining compac-t, lt has a long read transport path. The long path allows a ~Dcument being read to be moved sideways lnto good registration ~or reading without requlr1ng that the user relnsert the document.' CT9-85-01~
~23~3~
These and ot1~er advantage~ are o~t~ined by the in3ta17t invention w~llch is a depository havlng a bifurcated transport path. The transport o~ documents and envelopes in the path lS
controlled by ~ computer in response to slgnals from a deposit item sensor. The deposit item sensor provides signals indica-ting whether the deposit item lS a single document to be read be~ore deposit or an envelope to be directly passed lnto the print transport leg of the bifurcated transport ~or printing and stacking.
The computer controls a de~lector to permit envelopes to pass through the common transport and directly under a programmable printer in transit to a sequentlal stacking deposit cartridge of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,51~ 3 of common asslgnee with the instant invention. In other circumstances, the computer responds to tne sensor to control tne deposit item deflector to cause a deposit item to be diverted into a read portion of the transport path when the deposit ltem is a thin slngle sheet individual check. After enterlng the read path, document alignment rolls placed at a slight angle to the dlrection of document motion tend to move the document toward a reglstration edge before the document passes thé read head.
After passing the read head, the document returns to the common transport at a polnt ~ust past the sensor and traveling in the same direction as it traveled when flrst inserted. This permlts the document to be reclrculated in the event that the document was not adequately aligned Eor good reading. ~s the document is recirculated, additional aligning is provided by the alignment rolls until the document has been moved all the way against the registration edge and proper reading can be accomplished. When a proper reading is accomplished, the computer controls the depdsit item de~lector to pass the check into the print transport path under the programmable prlnter and into the d~jposit cartridge. In the event that proper reading cannot be accomplished ln several attempts, the document lS returned to the user a~ter it has re-entered the common transport path. By reversing the common transport the document is moved backwards out througn the input opening gate.
' ; ~3~
Other objects and adv~ntclcJes of the inven~ion will become apparent from the following descriptioll of a pre~erred embodiment w}len read in conjunction with the dxawings forming a part of this specification.
srieE Descriptlon_of the Drawings Figure l shows a side view of a safe enclosure containing the depository mechanism of this invention.
Figure 2 shows a detailed side view of the depository mechanism in position for depositlng an envelope.
Figure 3 shows a detailed side view of the depository mechanism ' in position for reading a check deposit item.
Figure 4 shows a view of a single document being inserted into the depository of this invention.
Figure 5 shows a flow diagram of the control logic embodied in a program in the controlling computer.
Descrlpt1on of the Preferred ~mbodiment Figure 1 shows a side view of a depository meehanism 11 'eonstructed in accordance with -the invention and mounted adjacent to a depository cartridge 13 inside of a safe enclosure 15 in order to deposit envelopes and checks therein in the sequence of their receipt. The safe 15 has a rotary gate 17 in one side which is opened or closed by,an eleetromagnet actuator under control of computer 9 and the logic and programs of an ~utomatic teller machine or a keyboard 2s display, in order to control which users are granted access to use the depository. User access to rotary gate 17 is provided through front covers of an automatic teller machine or through the wall of a bank building while service access to the , depository cartridge 13 is provided via safe door 19 of the normal type. In Figure 3, computer 9 is also shown to respond to signals from sensor 20 and read head 131 to control the operation of the transpolt l~elts and rollers and to control deflector 41.
ii3~
Referrillg now to ~igure 2, a more detailed descr,iption oE the depository mechanism of this invention, and particularly the common transport path while accep-ting a cleposit, will be set forth. Immediately adjacent to rotary gate 17 is the thickness sensing rolls 21, 23 which accept deposit item 10 in the nip therebetween. Thickness sensing ro]ls 21, 23 are moved apart from each other by the thickness of the deposit item 10 and therefore sense the thickness of the item using well known means not described.
lo Adjacent and co-acting with the deposit thickness sensing rolls is the common transport path. The common transport path has rolls 25 and 27 and a belt 29 constrained to rotate thereover.
Rolls 25 and 27 are mounted upon spring loaded journals so that these rolls can move away from,the common transport path as 'thicker deposit items are inserted into the common path.
Co-acting with belt 29 is transpoxt base plate 31 and rolls 33, 35, 37, and 39 to move the deposit item through the depository mechanism to deflector ~1.
' .
Dotted lines 30 show the position of belt 29 when transporting a thick envelope deposit item.
Deflector 41 is moved into the position shown in Figure 2 by an electromagnet actuator under control of logic and programming in a computer 9 to permit a deposit envelope to pass into the print/deposit leg of the bifurcated transport and under programmable printer 43 having a print liead 45 in a position to print along the depos:it item passin~ under the print head.
' Printer 43 may be a wire dot matrix printer, an ink jet printer, or any other type of printer which is able -to print upon deposit items. Progr.ammable printer 43 may for example be configured to print upon a label which is then transported and affi~ed to the deposit item so as to be able to print upon a , surface having constant thickness. . , .
.
.
3~
While passing under printer ~3, the deposit ltem is driven by belt 47 which travels around rolls ~9 and 51. Roll 49 is also mounted upon a spring loaded journal which can deflect to permit a relatively thick envelope deposit item to pass. After passing under printer 43, the deposit i-tem is inserted onto a stack o~ previously deposited items by a mechanism as for example shown in patent 4,512,263. In order to assist in transporting deposit i-tems under print head ~5, rolls 53 and 55 are provlded to deflect the deposit item as necessary to keep its surface at a controlled distance ~rom print head ~5 if printing lS to be directly upon the document. In the situation where printing is upon a label, rolls 53 and 55 serve to a~fix the label to the deposit item. The rolls and belt in the immediately foregoing description comprlse the print/deposit transport leg of the bifurcated transport of this invention.
The reading portions of depository mechanism ll which ~unction in the read leg of tl~e bl~urcated transport and in combination with the common transport path, will now be described with reference to Figure 3. In Figure 3, the deposit item lO is again inserted into the nip of rolls 21, 23 which sense lts thickness as the document is transported into the common path.
If a thin single sheet of paper lS detected, the logic and program of the controlling computer 9 operate an electromagnet actuator to move deflector ~l into the position s~own ln Figure 3. Upon encountering detLector 41, the check is de~lected into the read path comprislng belt 61 which traverses rolls 63 through 81. Belt ~1 in conjunction with rolls 63 and 79 transport the chec]c against guide plates 99 and 113 in -the read path. Rolls ~s and 67 act to divert the document away from 30 belt 61 and between guide plates lO1, 103 to guide the check into the nip between alignment roll l~1 and drive roll 123.
Drive roll 123 continues to carry the check between guide plates lOS, 107 to alignment roll l~ and drive roll 127. Roll 127 further drives the check between guide plates 109,111 and 35 past read head 131. Read head 131 may be a typical magnetic ink character read head or it may be an optical character read head both o~ which are well known ln the prior art and do not constitute applicants invention. A~ter passing read head 131, 3~$i~
the ch~ck deposit it~m is carriecl between roll 77 and belt 61 to roll 79 and gulde plate 113 where it encounters gravity operated deflector l33. Gravity operated deflector 133 is pushed by -the leadinq edge of the check deposit item into the position shown in broken lines to permit the deposit item to re-enter the common transport path.
Operation Of ~he Preferred Embodiment Referring again to Flgure 1 and with reference to Fig~lre 4, the operation of the depository mechanism of the invention will be described. As shown ln ~lgure 4, a deposit item ln the form of an envelope or check 10 lS placed into the deposit input opening gate 17, I~ the deposit item is a check, it is'placed, face up with the bottom edge o~ the document against a registration edge 135 as shown. The user is instructed to place a check deposit item in this manner by instructions displayed to the user at an assoclated automatic teller machine in con]unct1on with legends printed on the face of the deposltory near the depository gate. After the user has heen identified to the automatic teller machlne, the computer 9 causes rotary gate'17 to open permitting the check deposlt item to be pushed lnto the nip of rolls 21, 23 shown in Figure 3 for senslng the thickness of the deposit item as it is belng transported into the common,transport patll.
Referring now to the flow chart in Figure ~, after the user has inserted the deposit item at block 201, it is sensed for thickness at decision block 203 and computer 9 determines at block 205 i~ lt is an envelope or a single document. In the event that the deposit item caused thickness sensing rolls 21, 23 to be separated by more than the thlckness of a single sheet of paper, an envelope deposit is determined at block 205 to have,been inser~ted and the deposit item is'transported with ' deflector 41 in the down position shown in Figure 2, past programmable printer 43, and into depository cartridge 13 as depicted in blocks 217, 219, and 221 respoctively.
53~
I~ the deposit item i~ a sln~le thicklle.~ of paper, the computer 9 at block 207 will cause deElector 41 to move up to the position shown ln Figure 3 and the deposit item will be deflected into the read path comprising belt 61 and rolls 63 thro~lgh 81. IE when inserted, the bottom edge of the deposit item was placed far from registration edge 135, the deposit item may not have been moved up against and into alignment with the registration edge as depicted in block 209 before reaching the read head 131. In this case, the read head 131 will not be able, in block 211, to read the magnetic ink characte~s along the bottom edge of the check. After the deposit items passes the read head, it re-enters the common transport path through gravity operated deflector 133. Once the deposlt ltem has re-entered the common transport path, the computer 9 can decide at block 213 whether signals were present and if they were present, it can declde at block 215, whether the signals are recogn1zable. If the signals are recognizable, the computer 9 at block 217 moves deflector 41 down to pass the documen-t under printer 43 ~or printing at block 21Y and stacking at block 2~1 in the cartrldge 13.
If no signals were received from the read head or if they were not recognizable, the computer at blocks 2?3 or 225 decldes whether to re-clrculate the document ~or another attempt at reading. I~, ~or example,less than ~ attempts at reading have 25 been made, deflector 41 is ayain moved up at block 207 to the position o~ Figure 3 to allow the deposit i-tem to be re-circulated for another alignment and read attempt. I~ after several read attempts, no signals were received ~rom read head 131, computer 9 will display a message at block 227 that the document may have been inserted upslde down or backwards and solicit reinsertion in the correct orientation. After the deposi-t item clears de~lector 133, de~lec-tor 133 will drop back into the position shown in Figure 2 to permit the common transport to be operated in the reverse direction as shown at block 231 to return the deposit item to the user. The message is displayed on the display of an associated automatic teller machine advising the user that the deposit item cannot be read 5~
in the position in which it was inserted and that i~ lt was inserted face do~n, lt should be re-inserted face up or if the deposit item does not have magnetic ink characters, -that it cannot be accepted as an .individuai check depos.it.
On the other hand if signals were received from the read head but were not recognizable af-ter several tries, a message lS
displayed by computer 9 at block 229 to the effect that the document has unreadable characters and can not be accepted as a deposit. Agaln the document is returned to the user at block lo 231 as previously described.
It can be seen from the Figures and understood from the ~oregoing descri.ption o~ the preferred embodlment that the bifurcated transport of the invention having a common path, a print/deposit path and a read path to provide a re-clrculation capability, advantageously yields a compact depository mechanism which permlts functional items such as the programmable printer and rotary input gate to be ut~.lized for the purpose of depositing both lndividual checks and envelopes.
In addition, lt can be seen that by means o~ the re-circulation path utlllzing the common path and the read path, a deposlt item can be re-clrculated past alignment rolls a number of times, each pass movlng the deposit item into better registration and alignment for reading without the need for returning the deposit item to the user unless the deposit item has been inserted upslde down or backwards.
While the inventlon has been shown and described with respect to an envelope depository in comblnation with a check reader, it will be appreciatecl by those sk.ille~ ln the art that read head 131 could be oE the ~ype to read and recogni~e paper currency or magnetic s-tripe documents which then are handled ln CT9-85-~15 - 9 -~;23~ i3~
much the same way as described for a check. lt will be further appreciated that without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, through the use of another deflector similar to deflector 41 following rolls 49, 53, documents may be separately stacked into different cartridges as lS known in the art and exemplified by patent 4,552,351 of common assignee with the instant invention. Likewlse the addition or removal of p-inting or other ~unctional units is contemplated by the inventors as being within the scope of their invention whlch~is measured by the following claims.
-.,, CT9-85-015 - lO -
Claims (11)
1. A depository comprising:
a single opening for receiving both envelopes and single document deposit items;
a common transport for receiving said deposit items from said opening;
a thickness detector mounted between said opening and an input end of said common transport for detecting whether a deposit item is a single document;
a diverter mounted at an output end of said common transport for diverting single documents from said common transport to an input end of a read transport;
said diverter passing deposit items which are envelopes to a deposit receiving means.
a single opening for receiving both envelopes and single document deposit items;
a common transport for receiving said deposit items from said opening;
a thickness detector mounted between said opening and an input end of said common transport for detecting whether a deposit item is a single document;
a diverter mounted at an output end of said common transport for diverting single documents from said common transport to an input end of a read transport;
said diverter passing deposit items which are envelopes to a deposit receiving means.
2. The depository of claim 1 further comprising means mounted at an output end of said read transport for re-entering single documents into said common transport.
3. The depository of claim 2 having an aligner mounted adjacent said read transport for moving each single document toward a registration edge as each single document is transported.
4. The depository of claim 3 having a read head mounted between said aligner and said output end of said read transport for reading said single documents.
5. The depository of claim 4 having control means connected to said diverter for controlling said diverter to pass said single documents which have been correctly read to said deposit receiving means, said control means controlling said diverter to again divert said single documents which were not correctly read, to said read transport for further aligning and reading.
6. The depository of claim 5 further comprising a printer mounted between said diverter and said depository receiving means for printing on deposit items as they are being placed in said deposit receiving means.
7. The depository of claim 6 wherein said deposit receiving means comprises a receptacle for stacking both envelopes and single documents in the sequence of their receipt.
8. A depository capable of accepting both envelope deposit items and single document deposit items comprising:
a single deposit receiving means adjacent to a bifurcated transport for carrying envelopes directly to a deposit receptacle and alternately for carrying single documents past a document reader;
detector means for differentiating between envelope deposit items and single document deposit items;
control means responsive to said detector means for controlling said bifurcated transport to carry an envelope directly to a deposit receptacle, and alternately for controlling said bifurcated transport to carry a single document past a reading means for reading information from said single document prior to carrying said single document to said document receptacle.
a single deposit receiving means adjacent to a bifurcated transport for carrying envelopes directly to a deposit receptacle and alternately for carrying single documents past a document reader;
detector means for differentiating between envelope deposit items and single document deposit items;
control means responsive to said detector means for controlling said bifurcated transport to carry an envelope directly to a deposit receptacle, and alternately for controlling said bifurcated transport to carry a single document past a reading means for reading information from said single document prior to carrying said single document to said document receptacle.
9. The depository of claim 8 wherein one leg of said bifurcated transport carries deposit items directly to said deposit receptacle and wherein another leg of said bifurcated transport carries single document deposit items past a read means and thereafter to said first leg for carriage to said deposit receptacle.
10. The depository of claim 9 wherein said first leg carries deposit items past a printing means for printing on said deposit items as they are being carried.
11. The depository of claim 8 wherein said detector means is a thickness sensor.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US06/869,169 US4696426A (en) | 1986-05-30 | 1986-05-30 | Document reading envelope depository |
| US869,169 | 1986-05-30 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1238530A true CA1238530A (en) | 1988-06-28 |
Family
ID=25353057
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000533600A Expired CA1238530A (en) | 1986-05-30 | 1987-04-01 | Document reading envelope depository |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4696426A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0247361B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS62287398A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1238530A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3781717T2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5105069A (en) * | 1989-04-07 | 1992-04-14 | International Business Machines Corporation | Self-service transaction apparatus and method |
| US5183999A (en) * | 1989-04-07 | 1993-02-02 | International Business Machines | Self-service transaction apparatus and method using a robot for article transport and repair of internal article handling devices |
| GB8915048D0 (en) * | 1989-06-30 | 1989-08-23 | Ncr Co | Container for holding a stack of articles |
| GB8927225D0 (en) * | 1989-12-01 | 1990-01-31 | Ncr Co | Depository apparatus for envelopes and single sheets |
| JP2725431B2 (en) * | 1990-03-27 | 1998-03-11 | 富士電機株式会社 | Banknote recognition device with card |
| US5422467A (en) * | 1993-01-15 | 1995-06-06 | Interbold | Article depositing apparatus |
| GB9323709D0 (en) * | 1993-11-15 | 1994-01-05 | Ncr Int Inc | Depository apparatus for envelopes and single sheets |
| US5722332A (en) * | 1995-12-28 | 1998-03-03 | M.I.B. Elettronica S.R.L. | Apparatus and process for conducting deposit and drawing operations of banknotes and valuables |
| CN1545675A (en) * | 2001-08-21 | 2004-11-10 | ����ϲ�� | ATM deposit verification method |
| JP4007799B2 (en) * | 2001-11-22 | 2007-11-14 | グローリー株式会社 | Banknote deposit device |
Family Cites Families (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2960377A (en) * | 1956-11-20 | 1960-11-15 | Luther G Simjian | Depository machine |
| US3778596A (en) * | 1971-09-20 | 1973-12-11 | Metalogics Corp | Automatic banking deposit machine |
| US3998155A (en) * | 1973-01-03 | 1976-12-21 | Docutel Corporation | Depository system |
| US3836980A (en) * | 1973-05-03 | 1974-09-17 | Diebold Inc | Remote depository construction |
| JPS50139795A (en) * | 1974-04-25 | 1975-11-08 | ||
| US4067267A (en) * | 1974-10-21 | 1978-01-10 | Docutel Corporation | Depository system |
| US4023011A (en) * | 1975-06-30 | 1977-05-10 | Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd. | Automatic bank note depositing machine |
| JPS5245997A (en) * | 1975-10-08 | 1977-04-12 | Toshiba Corp | Automatic deposit apparatus |
| JPS5412239A (en) * | 1977-06-13 | 1979-01-29 | Hitachi Ltd | Automatic transaction device |
| IT1130118B (en) * | 1980-04-16 | 1986-06-11 | Olivetti & Co Spa | ENVELOPE DEPOSIT EQUIPMENT WITH AUTOMATIC DISPOSAL OF ENVELOPES |
| JPS5927369A (en) * | 1982-08-07 | 1984-02-13 | Omron Tateisi Electronics Co | Transaction processing device having envelope keeping function |
| US4512263A (en) * | 1983-05-06 | 1985-04-23 | International Business Machines Corporation | Depository apparatus with sequential stacking |
| US4576495A (en) * | 1984-05-10 | 1986-03-18 | Docutel/Olivetti Corporation | Depository/printer mechanism for an automated teller machine |
| US4597330A (en) * | 1984-11-28 | 1986-07-01 | Diebold, Incorporated | Depository envelope printing mechanism |
-
1986
- 1986-05-30 US US06/869,169 patent/US4696426A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1987
- 1987-04-01 CA CA000533600A patent/CA1238530A/en not_active Expired
- 1987-04-17 JP JP62093426A patent/JPS62287398A/en active Pending
- 1987-04-24 EP EP87105984A patent/EP0247361B1/en not_active Expired
- 1987-04-24 DE DE8787105984T patent/DE3781717T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS62287398A (en) | 1987-12-14 |
| DE3781717T2 (en) | 1993-04-08 |
| EP0247361A3 (en) | 1989-08-09 |
| DE3781717D1 (en) | 1992-10-22 |
| US4696426A (en) | 1987-09-29 |
| EP0247361B1 (en) | 1992-09-16 |
| EP0247361A2 (en) | 1987-12-02 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |